Clyde E. Palmer built influential newspaper chainAny successful business or public service has to stay innovative in order to stay relevant to the shifting needs and tastes of its customers. Seeing opportunity and staying updated on new technological trends can make all the difference between survival and oblivion in the business world. Clyde E. Palmer never stood still for long and spent a career looking for the next big thing. Because of his ambition, Palmer eventually built one of the mos...

Have you been behind this person in line?Blood sugar falling and getting shaky, I dash inside a McDonald's to get a small burger fix before my doctor's appointment. Rushing to the shortest line, I step behind an ancient lady who has just approached the counter. "Welcome to McDonald's. How can I help you?" "What drinks do you have?" the woman asks though the lighted menu board is right above her. "Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper, Lemonade and ..." "How much are they?" The cashi...

Carl Bailey's amazing rise to powerSuccess is not always a straight line. Even the most successful lives are fraught with many reverses and unexpected shifts. Carl Bailey was a man who rose from a humble background to becoming one of the most powerful men in Arkansas. Carl Edward Bailey was born in rural Missouri in 1894. His father took a series of jobs from salesman to logger to support the family, often moving from place to place before settling in Campbell, just a few miles...

Patrick Cleburne's resilience, part twoPatrick Cleburne had emerged from the ruins of a childhood that saw the death of both parents and the misery of the Irish Potato Famine to a new life of hope and relative prosperity in Helena, Arkansas, by the 1850s. He had established himself as an attorney and as a pillar of the community. The Civil War, however, would take it all from him. In a reorganization of Confederate forces in Arkansas, Cleburne was promoted to brigadier general in e...

Patrick Cleburne: A staunch Civil War generalSome lives are not destined for longevity or happiness. An immigrant who arrived in America to escape famine in Ireland, Patrick Cleburne rose to prominence in his brief time in the United States. During the Civil War, he rose to general. In his short life, Cleburne suffered many tragedies. Cleburne was born on St. Patrick's Day, 1828, in Ireland. His father was a respected doctor. His mother died when he was eighteen months old. Cleburne was ...

William H. Bowen had a reputation for integrityLawyer, businessman, educator, benefactor, and public servant are just a few of the titles that William H. Bowen held in his long life. Like many successful Arkansans of his generation, he overcame a childhood of rural poverty and personal loss, leaving behind his own obstacles, and in the true definition of greatness, worked to take down obstacles for those around him and for the next generation. He rose to become a trusted advisor to governo...

J. Mayo Williams' extraordinary lifeLife sometimes takes ordinary people on extraordinary adventures. J. Mayo Williams had a career that brought him from Arkansas to an Ivy League education and to the battlefields of Europe. Along the war, Williams became not only one of the charter players for the NFL, he was also a music producer who helped give a platform to some of the most influential blues and jazz artists. Jay Mayo Williams was born in Pine Bluff in September 1894. In 190...

Family members share their humorous tales of PapaMy husband's mother lived with us many years before her death Jan. 1, 2005. Mom and other family members had many "tales" to tell about her father and my husband's grandfather, Milton Hargus, known as "Papa." A few of these I would like to share with you, believing you will find them humorous, as well. Papa was not an affectionate man, they tell me. Let me rephrase this -- he was not a demonstrative man. He did love his family, however, and he...

Judge Andrew Scott's fall from graceReputations are built over years of work. But one act can destroy that reputation forever. Judge Andrew Scott, an early territorial judge, saw a promising career fall apart as he became the epicenter of controversies that ultimately left a fellow judge and a legislator dead. Andrew Horatio Scott was born into a large family in 1789 in Hanover County, Va., in the eastern part of the state. His father was an immigrant from Scotland. When he was ...

Dr. Samuel P. Massie broke barriers in science“I’d like to be remembered as a teacher who cared … as a man who tried to make a difference,” once remarked Dr. Samuel P. Massie, a noted chemistry professor and researcher. In his long and distinguished career, the native Arkansan broke barriers in science and society that truly made the world better. Samuel Proctor Massie, Jr., was born in Little Rock in July 1919. It was clear from a very young age that he was a genius. His parents were tea...

Grady Nutt makes a phone callFriends Linda and Dan Jackson (the same Dan Jackson who graduated from Russellville High School in the late 1960s), attended one of their conferences last September and, when they returned, I asked where they'd stayed. Dan grinned and answered, "The Pluck-A-Duck Inn." I howled! This made me think of other funny Arkansas town names. Pretend you are a telephone operator back in the days before "touch tone" phones. When making a long distance cal...

State Sen. Bell transformed higher education“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty,” wrote James Madison, the nation’s fourth president and Father of the Constitution, two centuries ago. The scientific, economic, and social advances of any nation in history are always connected to how its people are to be educated. In Arkansas, progress in education has often been slow, but several important leaders have stepped forward to advance the cause of k...

Uncle Freddy-boy's new toyMy husband's favorite aunt was his mother's oldest sister, Arrah. This aunt was married to Fred Culver, affectionately known as Freddy-Boy. Unable to have children of their own, all the nieces and nephews became like grandchildren to them. Freddy-Boy was a great story teller. The kids would gather around him to hear his tales about life in the early 1900s. He told of growing up on the farm near the 'big river' in North Louisiana. This particul...

Bernardo de Galvez gave aid to colonistsThe Revolutionary War found the American colonies in a desperate struggle for independence against one of the great superpowers of the 18th century, the British Empire. America found help in unexpected places. What turned out to be some of its most important foreign aid came from half a continent away from a largely unknown provincial Spanish governor, Bernardo de Galvez. Galvez served as governor of Spanish Louisiana, an area that included Ar...

The accomplishments of John McClellan, part 2In 1943, at the age of 46, John L. McClellan became the newest Senator to represent Arkansas. Over the space of 35 years, McClellan would leave an influential legacy on Arkansas and the nation. McClellan’s concerns covered many topics. He was known for his attention for detail and desire to find the facts, no matter what. In his years chairing various Senate committees, he conducted more in-depth investigations than anyone else in the Senate. ...

After the flood, 'a tender branch'In my last column, I told you about our 1998 flood and how we weren't prepared. But God was. By nothing less than a miracle we were led to the house of our dreams, one we'd always admired because of its uniqueness. It was located atop the bluff and built on steel supports that suspended it into the tree tops and out over the bluff. From its wraparound decks we could see for almost 20 miles. Townspeople referred to it as the "Tree House." The f...

The myriad roles of Arthur HunnicuttSome actors become famous starring in blockbuster movies or may only be famous for one line or one part. Sometimes the actors who rarely play the leading role are the ones who make a movie the most enjoyable part of the story. Arkansas native and character actor Arthur Hunnicutt was one such actor, known for his supporting roles in dozens of westerns between the 1940s and 1970s, starring with some of the most famous actors of the era. Arthur L...

Telling a house goodbye: Part 1In recent weeks, television news has showed the devastation caused by floods in California and along the Gulf Coast. My heart and prayers go out to these victims of destruction. You see, I know well the nightmare they are living ... and what they are facing in the future because Freemon and I have walked in their shoes. After retiring from Houston in 1996 we moved to La Grange, Texas, to a house fronting the Colorado River and backing to the F...